Issue |
Ann. Limnol. - Int. J. Lim.
Volume 51, Number 3, 2015
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 261 - 272 | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/limn/2015020 | |
Published online | 09 November 2015 |
Controlling factors in planktonic communities over a salinity gradient in high-altitude lakes
1 Instituto Nacional de Limnología (INALI), Ciudad Universitaria, Paraje El Pozo S/N, (3000) Santa Fe, Argentina
2 Fundación YUCHAN, Mariano Moreno 1950 (A4401XAK), Villa San Lorenzo, Salta, Argentina
* Corresponding author: diegofrau@gmail.com
Received:
5
December 2014
Accepted:
7
August 2015
This study aimed to determine the factors affecting plankton structure along a salinity gradient during the summer in high-altitude endorheic lakes in Catamarca Province (Argentina). During the summer 2013, eight lakes located between 3000 and 4300 meters above sea level were sampled in a 6-day period being analysed plankton, limnological variables and flamingo abundance. Principal Component Analysis explained 80% of the system variability, permitting lakes to be ordered by salinity: subhaline (SH), hypohaline (HH) and mesohaline (MH). A total of 101 phytoplankton taxa were registered, having Bacillariophyceae the highest richness (43 species registered). HH lakes were dominated by Bacillariophyceae (between 65 and 100%), while Chlorophyceae and Euglenophyceae were more abundant in SH and MH lakes. Zooplankton was poorly represented in richness (only 21 species were registered). MH lakes were dominated by Copepoda (>85% of total abundance) and HH lakes by Rotifera (>51% of total abundance). It was not found a clear pattern in SH lakes. The redundancy analysis explained 70.7% of phytoplankton variability and 75.7% of zooplankton variability. Bacillariophyceae presence was associated with availability of dissolved silica (Si), while Euglenophyceae and Chlorophyceae were associated with a higher nitrogen:phosphorus ratio. Cladocera and Copepoda abundance were linked to Euglenophyceae abundance and the area of lakes while Rotifera displayed a positive relation with the concentration of dissolved organic matter. We conclude that both phytoplankton and zooplankton abundance are mainly controlled by Bottom-Up forces including dissolved Si for Bacillariophyceae, and availability of Euglenophyceae for zooplankton while salinity and altitude have an effect on plankton richness distribution.
Key words: Phytoplankton / zooplankton / Bottom-Up / Top-Down / high-altitude salt lakes
© EDP Sciences, 2015
Current usage metrics show cumulative count of Article Views (full-text article views including HTML views, PDF and ePub downloads, according to the available data) and Abstracts Views on Vision4Press platform.
Data correspond to usage on the plateform after 2015. The current usage metrics is available 48-96 hours after online publication and is updated daily on week days.
Initial download of the metrics may take a while.